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Sunday, May 3, 2009

This is one book I've had for about three months, but have only just gotten around to reading.

I am kicking myself for not reading it sooner.

Life is complicated for Mia. She has two loves: music and her boyfriend Adam. And pretty soon, she'll have to choose between staying with Adam and her family, and perhaps pursuing a music career at Julliard. Her impending decision is only further complicated one winter morning when she and her family go on a drive that ends in tragedy. Now Mia has only one choice, the one that will affect absolutely everything; should she fight for her life, or let it all go?

If I Stay is a completely powerful and stunning read. Gayle Forman has created a complex story that weaves together many scenes from various points in Mia's life to create a work of art that overwhelmingly emotional and affecting and demands to be read in one sitting. As Mia observes all that goes around her, Forman deftly explores the make-up of Mia's life and those elements that have formed and influenced her in an intensely moving and heartbreaking fashion. As tragic and as sorrowful as the novel is, it is also witty and hopeful and bright at times, and it is the mix of pain and life, light and dark, that make If I Stay and Forman's strong voice a truly memorable read that will perhaps give readers a new outlook on life.

Cover Comments: This cover is simple and beautiful. I like the starkness of the tree branch, accented by a single flower. Because really, that's what this book is all about: death and loss, but in the midst of it, a spark of life. The colors, the text, everything is just perfect.

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Formerly a YA book blog, TheCompulsiveReader.com is now the personal bookish blog of YA writer Tirzah Price! For more frequent dispatches about books, writing, and general nonsense, check out Book Riot, head over to Twitter or follow TirzahPrice on Litsy!